Assembly election vote count begins

The North’s Assembly Election candidates will learn what the electorate has in store for them today as counting gets under way in 18 constituencies.

Two days of counts will get under way at centres in Belfast, Ballymena, Derry, Omagh, Banbridge, Newtownards, Lisburn and Antrim.

The result, which will be watched closely by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, could determine if the North will witness the return of power sharing by March 26.

Democratic Unionist leader Ian Paisley, whose party has been the largest group in the North since the 2003 assembly elections, will be hoping to remain the most popular.

Sinn Féin, however, will also hope to pick up gains in the Assembly, with senior leadership figures believing it could overtake the DUP in five years’ time.

Both parties face challenges from the Ulster Unionists and the SDLP.

A range of independent candidates including unionists critical of the DUP for considering power sharing and republicans opposed to Sinn Féin’s recent move to endorse the Police Service of Northern Ireland are also challenging.

The cross-community Alliance Party is fighting hard to hold on to its six Stormont seats and is also hoping to pick up a gain in South Belfast, with the North’s first Chinese candidate Anna Lo in contention.

The DUP is targeting gains in East Belfast, South Belfast, East Derry, Strangford, Upper Bann, North Belfast, North Antrim and South Antrim.

However, it faces a battle to hold on to Diane Dodds’ seat in West Belfast where Sinn Féin is hoping all five of its candidates will this time be elected.

Sinn Féin strategists have pinned their hopes of gains on Mitchel McLaughlin and Paul Butler winning the party’s first ever seats in South Antrim and in Lagan Valley.

The party also believed last night it was in contention for a third seat in its stronghold of West Tyrone.

Their main rival, Mark Durkan’s SDLP, was targeting gains in the unionist stronghold of Strangford and in Newry and Armagh, where Sharon Haughey was believed to be in the frame for a seat.

However, the party was engaged in fierce battles to hold on to seats in Lagan Valley, South Antrim and West Tyrone.

Reg Empey’s Ulster Unionists were hoping to prove that haemorrhaging of votes to the rival DUP in recent elections had stopped.

In East Belfast, Progressive Unionist leader Dawn Purvis was engaged in a monumental fight to hold on to the party’s sole seat.

She only became leader in January after her predecessor and close friend David Ervine died suddenly.

Mr Ervine captured the East Belfast seat in 1998 and held off a vigorous challenge from the DUP five years later.

There will be considerable interest in how the Green Party performs in the 13 constituencies it is contesting.

The Greens’ best hope of capturing their first ever Assembly seat appeared to rest in North Down, where Brian Wilson was standing.

UK Unionist leader Robert McCartney was also awaiting the results from the six constituencies he ran in: North Down where he was defending a seat, North Belfast, Lagan Valley, South Antrim, Fermanagh, South Tyrone and West Tyrone.

Mr McCartney has said if he wins more than one seat he will represent those constituencies for which he is elected and donate any additional salary to charity.

Seven more UK Unionists were also standing in the election.